The GPU market might be facing a potential disruption as startup Bolt Graphics announces its ambitious Zeus graphics processor. The California-based company claims this new GPU architecture delivers unprecedented performance for rendering, high-performance computing, and gaming workloads, challenging industry giants like NVIDIA with specifications that seem almost too remarkable to be true.
A Bold New Contender in the GPU Space
Bolt Graphics, founded in 2020 by Darwesh Singh, has unveiled what it describes as a revolutionary graphics processing unit named Zeus. The startup, which previously introduced its Thunder project at CES 2024, now claims its upcoming Zeus GPU will deliver up to 10 times the rendering performance of NVIDIA's flagship RTX 5090 while consuming significantly less power. These extraordinary claims have raised eyebrows across the tech industry, as such performance leaps typically occur across multiple generations of hardware development.
Unprecedented Technical Specifications
Zeus features a modular chiplet-based design with several configurations planned. The base model is a single-chiplet design (Zeus 1c26-032) featuring 77 Gigarays of ray tracing performance, 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, and expansion capability for up to 128GB of additional DDR5 memory through SODIMM slots. The dual-chiplet (Zeus 2c26-064/128) and quad-chiplet (Zeus 4c26-256) variants reportedly deliver 154 and 307 Gigarays respectively, with the top model supporting a staggering 2.25TB of total memory (256GB LPDDR5X plus 2TB DDR5).
Zeus GPU Configurations:
| Model | Chiplets | Ray Tracing | LPDDR5X Memory | Max DDR5 Memory | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeus 1c26-032 | 1 | 77 Gigarays | 32GB | Up to 128GB | 120W |
| Zeus 2c26-064/128 | 2 | 154 Gigarays | 64GB | Up to 512GB | 250W |
| Zeus 4c26-256 | 4 | 307 Gigarays | 256GB | Up to 2TB | 500W |
Unconventional Connectivity Options
Perhaps most unusual about Zeus is its extensive connectivity options. The GPU includes direct network interfaces, with the high-end model featuring six 800GbE ports—equivalent to approximately 12 PCIe Gen5 x16 lanes of bandwidth. Lower models include QSFP-DD ports for 400GbE and RJ-45 connectors. The cards also feature dual PCIe Gen5 x16 connectors, an unusual configuration for consumer graphics cards. This level of networking integration suggests Bolt is targeting data center and professional workloads alongside consumer applications.
Unique Features:
- Direct integration of networking: Up to six 800GbE ports on high-end model
- Expandable memory through DDR5 SODIMM slots
- Dual PCIe Gen5 x16 connectors
- RISC-V RVA23 out-of-order scalar core architecture
- Available in PCIe, server, and cloud form factors
Power Efficiency Claims
Despite the purported performance advantages, Bolt Graphics claims Zeus will operate at remarkably low power levels. The single-chiplet design reportedly requires just 120W through a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, while the dual and quad-chiplet designs are rated at 250W and 500W respectively. If accurate, this would represent an extraordinary leap in performance-per-watt compared to current market offerings.
Performance Benchmarks and Skepticism
According to Bolt's internal benchmarks, which they describe as pre-silicon benchmarks in emulation, the Zeus 2c26-064/128 outperforms the RTX 4090 by 9x and the RTX 5090 by 4.8x in path tracing workloads. In FP64 compute performance, Zeus allegedly achieves 10 TFLOPS, approximately 7x higher than the RTX 4090 and 6.25x higher than the RTX 5090. The company even claims its top model delivers 300 times the electromagnetic simulation performance of NVIDIA's Blackwell B200.
Industry experts remain skeptical of these claims, noting that such dramatic performance improvements without corresponding increases in power consumption would represent a fundamental breakthrough in semiconductor technology. Most observers are adopting a wait and see approach until working hardware becomes available.
Claimed Performance Comparison:
| Workload | Zeus 2c26 vs RTX 4090 | Zeus 2c26 vs RTX 5090 |
|---|---|---|
| Path Tracing | ~9x faster | ~4.8x faster |
| FP64 Compute | ~7.1x faster | ~6.25x faster |
Market Availability
Bolt Graphics has indicated that early developer kits for Zeus will be available in the coming months, with a full product release targeted for early 2025. The company plans to offer the GPU in multiple form factors, including traditional PCIe cards, server configurations, and cloud deployments.
As with any pre-release hardware announcement featuring extraordinary claims, potential customers and enthusiasts should approach these specifications with appropriate caution until independent verification becomes possible. If Zeus can deliver even a fraction of its promised performance, however, it could represent a significant shift in the high-performance computing and graphics processing landscape.